Xin and Minato both smirked.
"If you're not afraid of getting beaten up, you don't have to ask her."
Nawaki: "..."
Damn it! I knew it!
Am I really destined to never escape my sister's control?
Ugh, how frustrating!
Nawaki irritably scratched his head, then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He squinted.
"Xin, isn't that the Hyuga girl you used to mentor? Hyuga Suzune?"
"Hyūga Suzune?" Xin looked up. Sure enough, there she was, across the street.
It had been a while since he'd seen her. The once cold and aloof girl had grown up, and she looked noticeably prettier than before.
Just as Xin was about to wave and greet her, Minato tugged at his sleeve.
"???"
What's up?
Xin gave him a questioning look. Minato pointed subtly in Nawaki's direction, and Xin followed his gaze.
Nawaki, who had just been scratching his head in frustration, now stood frozen like a statue, staring wide-eyed at someone.
"Captain?" Hyūga Suzune had noticed the trio from across the street.
Her face lit up with a joyful smile as she ran over, her small wooden sandals clacking against the pavement.
"Hey, Suzune! Long time no see. You've grown even more beautiful," Xin said with a smile, raising his hand to give her a light pat on the head. It was a habit he had developed when she was younger.
But before his hand could land, a slender, pale hand blocked it.
"Lord Xin, although your relationship with Miss Suzune is good, it's still a bit impolite to pat a young lady's head like that," A young woman standing beside Suzune said.
This was Hyuga Meiko, Suzune's branch family guardian, who had stepped in to protect her charge.
"It's fine, Meiko. Captain didn't mean anything by it," Suzune protested, frowning at Meiko. Reluctantly, Meiko withdrew her hand and stepped back.
In the past few years, while Konoha had been dealing with the war, some other significant events had unfolded.
For instance, both the Hyuga Clan's old patriarch and the Uchiha Clan's old leader had passed away one after the other.
Their successors, Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi, were forced to take up the mantle of leadership under the pressure of their clans' elders.
When the Uchiha Clan held their patriarch's funeral, Fugaku had even sent someone to invite Xin. However, Xin had declined.
Time changes everything.
Even though it hadn't been that long, only two or three years, Hyuga Suzune had changed significantly. The cold and distant little girl was gone.
Back in the day, getting a smile out of her felt harder than taking down Danzō.
"Sorry about that. It was my mistake," Xin apologized with a smile. "Are you out shopping for something?"
"Yes," Suzune replied, smiling gently. "My older brother's birthday is coming up, so I wanted to pick out a present for him."
...
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